1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for setting up a serial communication port configuration, and more particularly to a BIOS (basic input/output system) is used for combining digital logic gates with a software to enable a user to setup the configuration in a booting displaying page easily and change the RS-232/422/485 serial communication port configuration as desired.
2. Description of Related Art
The industrial personal computer (IPC) in the earlier days was adopted for automation of the machine and the equipment. Along with the progressive development in the semiconductor process and the microprocessor technologies, integrated chips have substantially improved and upgraded the personal computer performance with a better processing capability, faster speed and multi-functionalities. The computer system, which was initially adopted for personal use has become multifunctional after combining with the functions of the software, the hardware, the peripheral components and the developing tools, even has been extended to the industrial application.
Furthermore, the well-developed technology allows the companies to take care of a larger quantity of the information in an auto control room or in separate equipments, for example, the computers, the automatic teller machine (ATM), the call center and the Internet servers, and also for the industrial use. The definition for the IPC has shifted from the industrial automation to the digital control, and paving way towards the Internet appliance (IA). The available network attached storage (NAS) product has been developed accordingly for example. The Internet storage device will become more and more essential when the global fiber width band and the main network are ready.
However, the computer communication application is increasing and the information transmission traffic overloads load the host server. The only solution is to use the smart serial communication ports to setup the configurations to share the load of the host. When the hardware engineer handles the remote device (IPC) via various serial communication ports, for example, RS-232/422/485, for setting up the configurations, the engineer must send someone or himself to open the housing and reach in to the internal electronic device for completing the settings. Such manual setting procedure not only consumes a lot of time and increases the cost, but also the engineer cannot process setting up the functions anytime and the procedure is obviously more complicated. As long as the IPC has the need of improvement, the manufacturers in the field have the responsibility to work on it.
Furthermore, setting up the above electronic hardware usually requires lots of wires to support, which are the defects of the conventional products, for example.
1. A large number of wires are required to support the set up process, and accordingly the related electronic components cannot be reduced. Thus, both the cost and the layout on the motherboard are substantially increased.
2. The housing has to be opened to setup the internal electronic hardware, and the operation time for setting up cannot be shortened.
3. The setup must be implemented through the hardware, and therefore this cannot fit various types of the chips.
Therefore, how to overcome the above defects of the conventional art is an important issue for the manufacturers in the field.